By MaryAnne Musilo,

Laikipia County is fast becoming the centre of a new grape growing region in Kenya, thanks in part to the work of seedling farmer Martin Ndirangu in Ngobit.

With demand for fresh grapes, wines and juices on the rise in Kenya, his nursery is nurturing grafted vines  that quickly fruit, saving growing time from seed.

“The grapevine seedlings take eight months to start fruiting. I mostly major with the seedless grape, and we have wine grapes. The table grapes we have, green, red and golden,” he said.

The grapes will grow almost anywhere with basic composting, he said. 

In Kenya, seedless table grapes are popular, including varieties like Thompson seedless, red globe and golden cultivars, and a well-managed acre can earn Sh1m to even Sh2m per harvest, at local prices of Sh400 to Sh500 per kg.

The key to top yields, said Martin, is planting 500–800 vines per acre, spaced 3 metres apart between plants and 2–3 m between rows, and using farmyard manure and biofertilisers to keep the soil fertile.

He recommends deep watering during grape development, but less water during bud formation and ripening. Disease management is critical, however, with grapes prone to diseases like downy mildew, anthracnose and weevils, which need careful monitoring.

Martin said he prefers organic solutions like planting guavas alongside grapes, which helps keep birds from raiding the grapes.

He sells his seedlings for Sh800 each and provides buyers with hands-on training.

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“For the types of grapes I farm, yields have no big difference, they are kinda the same. And for now I just sell seedlings. I took a  pause on farming the vines for I wants to go big, as in large scale,” he said.

“Grape farming can give good returns with moderate irrigation of about 20 litres per week, that is, per tree, pruning, clearing of the vine bush, cutting tendrils and training the vines each year” 

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